Storm The Gates

Brace yourself for an especially challenging conversation that is full of hope! Yes, God can use you to uniquely advance His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven by making disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you believe it? We pray you will after listening to this conversation. Jeremy Smith is the Lead Pastor of Crosspoint Church in NW Florida. Crosspoint Church is a church of six physical locations with a special vision to do the work of multiplying disciples of Jesus. This special focus is called The Re-Awakening Initiative. The Re-Awakening Initiative is powered by Replicate Ministries, and is igniting a powerful disciple-making movement across churches and communities — and they want YOU to be a part of it.This transformational initiative equips pastors and leaders with personalized plans, actionable strategies, and real-world training to inspire growth and re-energize their churches. Through immersive experiences like Pastor Huddles, Co-Lab Workshops, and Movement Ready Training Days, they’re helping churches discover clarity, build momentum, and multiply disciples. Find out more here: https://crosspoint.church/reawakening/. Robert McCormick is a pastor and practitioner using the Re-Awakening Initiative resources for his local church context. Robert joined the staff at Madison Methodist Church in February of 2024 as the Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Assimilation. Prior to coming to MMC, he served at Trinity Methodist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi for over 6 years as the Director of Student Ministries and Associate Pastor.

The theme for General Conference in 2026 is The Beauty of Holiness. The many faceted diamond of holiness as it's revealed to us in scripture, especially as it relates to worship and mission, is the heart of this STG conversation. Dr. O'Reilly goes on to share with us his perspective on some crucial questions that face the Global Methodist Church heading into General Conference 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa.Dr. Matt O'Reilly is Lead Pastor of Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama, Director of Research at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a senior fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. A two-time recipient of the John Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement, Matt is the author of multiple books including Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification and Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice. His essays have appeared in both scholarly and popular-level publications, and he speaks regularly at conferences and churches. To access more from Dr. O'Reilly, go here: https://www.theologyproject.online/.Stay tuned to the very end for a little Auburn football and nugget of wisdom on pastoral leadership.

Yes, you read that right. Dr. Phil Tallon reveals a little bit of what he's been working on which involved watching movies and considering what they say about the problem of evil and the world of enchantment we occupy.Dr. Tallon is an Associate Professor of Theology at Houston Christian University in addition to being the Dean of the School of Christian Thought. He is the author of many publications including The Absolute Basics of the Christian Faith (https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-absolute-basics-of-the-christian-faith/) and co-author of The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way (https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-absolute-basics-of-the-wesleyan-way/) with Dr. Justus Hunter.Dr. Tallon is a member of the Evangelical Philosophical Society and the Wesleyan Theological Society. Involvement in ministry is important to Dr. Tallon, and he has held a number of full-time positions in youth and college ministry. He has a large family, who keep him on his toes. He likes outdoorsy sporting activities that don’t involve the application of game theory (e.g. biking, hiking, camping, running, frisbee, etc.).Stay tuned to the very end for sweet Billy memories and discover where there may still be ground left to till in the areas of Lewis and Tolkien studies.

The war between Russia and Ukraine started in 2022 and continues. The death toll of civilians is in the tens of thousands and the total number of casualties is in the hundreds of thousands to over a million. Bishop Khegay is the spiritual leader for this region of the world in the Global Methodist Church. We are grateful for him sharing his testimony of coming to faith in Jesus Christ and leading the church in a time such as this. Bishop Eduard Khegay was born in 1970 and grew up in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union. He studied at the Bauman Moscow Technical University and majored in Mechanical Hydraulic Engineering. He became a Christian through the missionary work of Jonathan Park during his years at University and went on to study at Moscow United Methodist Theological Seminary, which he graduated in 1996. During the 1990s, Eduard served as a leader of the college student ministries at Moscow Central United Methodist Church (UMC) and Pastor of the First UMC in St. Petersburg. In the 2000s, he served as Director of Church Development of the Russia UMC, Pastor of Aspiration UMC, District Superintendent of St.Petersburg District, Pastor of Raduga Ministry of Moscow UMC, Assistant to the Bishop Hans Vaxby, and District Superintendent of Central Asia. In October 2012, Eduard was elected a Bishop of Eurasia Episcopal Area of the Methodist Church in Eurasia.  In 2025, Eduard was received as Bishop into the Global Methodist Church. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theologyof  Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001 and Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC in 2010. Eduard is married to Viktoria Nogay and they have two daughters, Liudmila and Lydia. They live in Moscow, Russia. 

We welcome one of Shea's high school teachers and current professor and administrator at Houston Christian University, Dr. Kristina Cerling, to STG. Dr. Cerling is the Dean of the Graduate School, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Education at Houston Christian University (hc.edu). While highlighting all that Houston Christian has to offer students, including the Global Methodist Church (free tuition for qualifying engineering majors anyone?), she shares much more about how faith is at the center of hers and her family's private and public lives. Prepare to be inspired!Dr. Cerling’s primary teaching focus is school administration and secondary literacy. She spends much time studying teaching strategies, classroom management, and methodology. Through the National Writing Project and The Olga Lengyl Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights, Dr. Cerling has studied Holocaust Education and Social Justice in America.Prior to coming to Higher Ed., Dr. Cerling has been an English, theatre, and speech teacher and also a principal, curriculum director, and superintendent of schools. She has been the Program Director and Department Chair of Bethel College Education Department.Dr. Cerling has been actively involved in her church teaching Sunday School, small groups, and leading activities. She has enjoyed the opportunity to invest in and mentor undergraduate and high school students. Other hobbies include reading and attending events in which her children participate.

"Reaching others in an age of anxiety and division" is the subtitle of Andrew Forrest's first book, Love Goes First. This is a prescient book for the church. The main argument is clearly one that aligns well with the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition. Following the way of. Jesus, John Wesley made the first move in gospel love towards the other. We hope this conversation inspires you to check out Andrew's book and share it with family and friends. Use the link below to buy it at a discount.https://churchsource.com/products/love-goes-first-how-to-engage-the-world-transform-your-relationships-and-live-out-the-gospel?variant=42117129437281In August of 2022, Rev. Andrew Forrest became the new senior pastor of Asbury, a large local church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His desire is to build on the legacy of the past while leading Asbury toward the future of accomplishing its mission of Helping Others Follow Jesus.Pastor Andrew started out in life almost as far away from Oklahoma as you can get! His family was a missionary family (his father was a pastor too!), so he did a lot of his growing up in West Africa before moving back to the US to live in Virginia. He attended college at Columbia University in New York City and earned his seminary degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.He is married to Elaine, and they have two children: Jack and Annie. The Forrest family moved to Tulsa from Dallas where Andrew was the Senior Pastor of Munger Place Church (a church plant of Highland Park United Methodist) for 12 years before becoming the Senior Pastor of Asbury.Listen to the very end to discover one of Pastor Andrew's favorite beverages.

Get ready to start planting churches and multiplying disciples of Jesus if you're not already doing so! You might hear God calling you through the testimony of His servant Steve today. Rev. Dr. Steve Cordle currently serves on the Commission for Kingdom Advancement in the Global Methodist Church in addition to being the Executive Director for The River Network (therivernetwork.org). Steve is the founding pastor of Crossroads Church, now called The Table Church, a group-based church with 4 locations around Pittsburgh, Pa. His missionary heart can be traced to his coming to Christ through a missionary team while living in Brussels, Belgium.He has also been a Master Trainer with Dynamic Church Planting International, and is the author of three books and soon to be more. Steve is a classically trained pianist. His most important partner is his wife Linda; they have three adult sons, three daughters-in-love and four grandchildren.To get in touch with Steve, you can email him at steve@therivernetwork.org

Pastor Bryan shares about his year with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and how the Lord is healing him in many ways. Who hasn't been impacted by cancer in some way? Bryan shares a powerful testimony of the power of the Holy Spirit and God's goodness every step of the way.Rev. Bryan Rogers is the Lead Pastor of Lutie Watkins Memorial Methodist Church in Llano, TX. He's a Presiding Elder in the MidTexas Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He serves as the COO for Revive (revivetexas.org). He's a husband and a father. If you need a "pick-me-up" today, this is it. We promise you can't listen to Bryan's testimony and remain unmoved.

If you're a process person who wants to know how the sausage is made, this is the STG episode for you! Pastor Chris shares with us extensively related to the new process for electing Bishops in the Global Methodist Church at the 2026 General Conference. As the chair for the Commission on Episcopacy for the GMC, he knows more than any human being about the process. This is an assignment of the Lord that Chris has been faithful to steward for many years. In addition to his work with the episcopacy, Dr. Chris Ritter has been the Directing Pastor at Kingswood Church since 2009 and has a passion for connecting people with Jesus. He is the author of Seven Things John Wesley Expected Us to Do for Kids (Abingdon Press, 2016) and holds a Doctor of Ministry in Evangelism from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. He graduated magna cum laude from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1997 and is ordained in the Global Methodist Church. Pastor Chris has been married to Becky since 1988, and together they have four adult children. He manages the facebook page GMC Links which shares online content being produced regularly by and for the Global Methodist Church.

Making music and touring for more than two decades, John Mark McMillan has felt God calling him to focus on other ventures and not solely music this year. Many listeners of STG might be familiar with the worship songs "How He Loves" and "King Of My Heart." John Mark wrote those. The latter of which he cowrote with his wife Sarah.John Mark McMillan is something of an anomaly. A singer-songwriter, bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet's eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each album has continued to explore new territory, it's McMillan's ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift.He writes music from his sanctified imagination. This is nowhere more evident than in his latest album "Cosmic Supreme." Pleas enjoy the humble and deep reflections of John Mark in this conversation. For friends curious about his music, here are some songs that are great places to start:Holy Powers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxuYul9O4YMJuggernaut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=govE9dPp1zcEnemy, love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvqCKOL2uLwWilderlove: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG2_TKNllaMFuture/Past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGNznfexvUADeath In His Grave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSTKbmNY1WA